Unemployed Workers Struggling To Get Help After Unemployment Service Center Layoffs
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The layoffs of hundreds of state employees at unemployment service centers have reached a crisis point.
The mound of paperwork on Lonnie Middleton's kitchen countertop lays it out. If that's not enough, he's got big boxes of documents in the living room. All of it proof that the state owes him thousands of dollars in unemployment compensation, and he can't get a nickel of it.
"I have no money," Middleton said. "Look at my refrigerator. I mean, my wife's check is the only thing that's keeping us afloat. I'm the breadwinner of this house. I make good money. Nothing's coming in now."
Middleton is caught up in the backwash of what's being described as a political battle in Harrisburg. He's a laid-off cement mason.
More than 500 employees at unemployment service centers were laid off nearly three weeks ago -- people that would help Middleton and thousands of others with their unemployment benefits.
The governor's office made the cuts, but blames Republican leaders for forcing them to do so.
"We should also note that the folks that cause this will be working," Union leader Al Smith said.
State representative Harry Readshaw isn't pointing political fingers. He says he's living a nightmare.
"Oh, we're going nuts with this," he said.
His office is buried in paperwork. They try to help constituents get their paperwork through to unemployment compensation centers.
"This has to be fixed immediately, if not sooner," Readshaw said. "Because we have to have some compassion for these people."
A mound of paperwork and hollow political promises offer no solace for Middleton. If he doesn't get some cash from the state soon, he's in real trouble.
"I feel like a helpless case, but I've worked," he said. "I shouldn't be in this position right now. It's not like I'm looking for a handout. I just want what I earned … It's very scary."
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